Orange takes its Book Club store to Android smartphones

One-click buy system bills users directly, but also means a rethink required for the iPhone version.

Orange has launched its Book Club e-books store as an Android app, following its debut last year for BlackBerry, Symbian and Java phones.

The app went live yesterday alongside the announcement of this year's longlist in the Orange Prize for Fiction. The app has a catalogue of 23,000 e-books and audiobooks, with one-click purchases using carrier billing.

Like Amazon's Kindle apps, Orange Book Club allows its users to read their purchased e-books on multiple devices, including handsets, tablets and PCs. Mobcast is responsible for the service.

"The new Orange Book Club app gives readers a truly 21st century book-buying experience," says brand communications director Stuart Jackson. "Unlike many other eBook services on the market, ours allows you to purchase with a single click, making it easier than ever before to download your next must-read novel."

The app is not yet available for iPhone, due to Apple's new rules on charging for digital content without using its own in-app purchases system. Orange is making changes to the Book Club iOS app with plans to resubmit it to Apple for approval, according to a spokesperson.